Thanksgiving

Hey folks. Handy Mandy here. Sorry to leave you guys hanging like that. I've been a bit busy lately. You guys remember Boyfriend?

Ever elusive

Well, there have been a lot of upgrades in the Handy Mandy household over the years, but this is perhaps the most exciting. Boyfriend has been upgraded.

To Fiancé.

The furball and I have moved out of Casita Amanda, into the luxurious Wellington Palace. It's roughly twice the square footage and boasts 8, count them 8 walk in closets. I think my days of wandering around trying to squeeze just a bit more storage out of a tiny house may be done. Casita Amanda, or the Lunar Module, as we must now call it, has a tenet. I'll get around to posting the conclusion of the bathroom reno sometime, don't worry. And Wellington Palace has plenty of projects that need doing as well, so fear not, Handy Mandy isn't going anywhere.

So let's talk about Thanksgiving. It's my very favorite holiday, and this is the first year that I get to host at my house for all my family on Thanksgiving. That's going to include two parents, one brother, a pair of parents-in-law, a pair of step-parents-in-law, a pair of siblings-in-law, two friends and one friend parent. Toss in me and Fiancé, and you've got 14 people. 

I have exactly 12 dining room chairs. 

So, where do we turn in our hour of need but to Ruth's Room! This Bart's Barn spin off hosts furniture, books, clothing, knick knacks and other thrift store finds. And the proceeds of course benefit Habitat for Humanity. 

They don't look like much yet, but give me time.

I actually purchased these around this time last year, thinking they'd fit great in Fiancé's bedroom for the purpose of putting on shoes. He was dubious. They cost ten bucks.

I turned them over and removed the seats, which were held on by a couple screws.

Then I ripped off the fabric and what passed as cushioning. 

You can tell these were probably originally upholstered in the late 50's/early 60's in gold, and reupholstered in the late 70's/early 80's in paisley. Ew.

At this point I reupholstered the seats using two inch high density foam (I like a cushy tushy) and some plaid to match Fiancé's curtains and bedspread. I thought I took pictures of this but, I guess I didn't. 

cushy tushy.

Then I sanded and restained the chair frames.

Then it's a matter of screwing the seats back to the chair. Which was harder than you'd imagine. I suggest sitting in a chair and putting the seat upside down in your lap. Then line up the frame and screw them together.

Yes I'm in pajama bottoms and slippers. Don't judge. 

I lost the screws for the seat in the move and had to replace them with new wood screws. But if that's the only thing I lost during the move I'm ok with that.

Here we are, good as new, ready for Thanksgiving duty!

Now all I have to do is figure out how to feed 14 people.

Puppy Tax!